PSSC/HIPS "Biennial" Expedition to the Big Island

[BeaumontTropics]

I think Jimmy Buffett would want me to do everything possible to try and attend..

Just some major details would have to be worked out....vacation from work, babysitter, exact dates, close to exact prices, etc..

But if everything lined up reasonably well, and the Tiki Bar is open..It sounds awesome! With a little fine tuning and some more precise details, it could

very well happen. Heck, you might even make an "Official" IPS Member out of me yet. If they would just throw in some sort of cool cheesy medallion instead of seeds, I would be all in!

FINS ON THE MAINLAND!

-Eric Hofmann

[BS Man about Palms]

Posted Today, 03:27 PM

Think of the side trip BS man will take over there." I here there is a Dypsis white stem on Molakai"

I made a brief visit once to Molakai and trust me, there ain't no Dypsis. Not much of anything actually. What I did see was a nice population of Dwarf Fiji coconuts and with plenty of the nuts barely off the ground.

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Gary Coleman has the same problem.

[Dypsisdean]

Obviously there is a lot to consider and a lot to discuss and decide. Let me tell you where we are in this process, and a short list of things that are up in the air and will need to be finalized. Perhaps that will answer a few of the questions that have been raised.

First - This idea has been floating around and proposed unofficially to HIPS and the PSSC for a couple of months now. When mentioning it to members, there seemed to be universal Interest. But nobody in a capacity to organize it seemed interested in discussing it. So Jeff at Floribunda and I at Palmpedia considered the possibility of sponsoring it ourselves. As fortune would have it, this tour operator specializing in garden tours worldwide had visited my garden and was including it in a tour of the San Diego Hort Society. I will supply a link to the flyers, application, itinerary, etc. to that event as a sample of the tours they organize. Preliminary discussions have indicated they would be interested in handling a Big Island Palm event.

Since two HIPS/PSSC board meetings were recently held with no mention or interest of exploring such a plan, I decided to probe how much interest there would be. This seemed to be an easy and logical first step. And where better than on PalmTalk.

As anticipated, I believe there is plenty of interest to make it feasible. My initial thoughts were that it would need to be restricted to PSSC members due to an excess of interest. I had not envisioned a large event, but a more intimate gathering of 2-3 dozen PSSC members who all knew one another. And with such a simple short flight, it seemed worth pursuing.

Since posting, I have received a contact from the PSSC, and I am still unsure as to what part HIPS may be willing to play. So, I have notified the Presidents of HIPS and the PSSC, and also the tour operator of this thread, so they are hopefully monitoring it.

So..................Some Considerations:

It is still unclear as to "whose" event this would be. If it is a PSSC event, it may need to be restricted to PSSC Members depending on the numbers. If it is a HIPS event, then we would need to find out their ideas. If it was mutual, then the two organizations would need to collaborate. And if they are not that interested or prepared, then Floribunda/Palmpedia may still choose to put something together, possibly loosely affiliated with PalmTalk, or something like that - and open to everyone - since there appears to be as much or more interest outside of SoCal.

To answer the question of how many we need to make it feasible, I'm thinking 25-30 is the magic number - but it's possible that the problem might be a maximum number, depending on how many could be accommodated and still keep it manageable and enjoyable. But it's also possible that with more participants better prices could be negotiated. But again, this would all depend on the decisions of who is putting it on. When that is decided, the details can be finalized and forthcoming.

So, since this is still in its embryonic stage, please continue to comment, commit, or otherwise express interest. The more interest that is expressed, the better and quicker things can come together.

[Dypsisdean]

As promised, here is a link to a page that contains some sample information from the Garden Tour Company. This includes their 2010 Tour Schedule (including Spain, Portugal, Japan,and Canada), a tentative itinerary for an upcoming tour to Portland, Oregon, and a Flyer for the Big Island San Diego Hort Society Nov. Tour.

TOUR COMPANY SAMPLE DOCUMENTS

[JungleGina]

I'm interested. I have peeps there and would love another reason to visit.

[BS Man about Palms]

Dean- I will add one caveat that I and possibly others would consider. If it is the "year from now" it may not be an issue, but if it works out to happen LESS than a year or so BEFORE the Biennial to Thailand, I know I would have to think twice and ultimately opt for the Thailand option. (just to save up). But if the Hawaii was within a year from now, I think BOTH are doable.

2 cents worth, right there.

[Dypsisdean]

Dean- I will add one caveat that I and possibly others would consider. If it is the "year from now" it may not be an issue, but if it works out to happen LESS than a year or so BEFORE the Biennial to Thailand, I know I would have to think twice and ultimately opt for the Thailand option. (just to save up). But if the Hawaii was within a year from now, I think BOTH are doable.

2 cents worth, right there.

Bill,

As mentioned, the idea would be to get it as far away from the IPS Biennial, before and after, as possible. That is why I phrased it as a "year from now," which should work out roughly a year after Rio, and a year before Thailand.

[bgl]

We'll know more about the 2012 Biennial in Thailand next month. Anders Lindström, who is in charge of the botanical garden at Nong Nooch, will make a presentation to the IPS Board on April 17th in Rio. The 1998 Biennial in Thailand was in September, and we've talked about generally the same timeframe for the one in 2012. So, if there's a trip to the Big Island exactly one year from now (for instance) that would be 18 months prior to Thailand.

[Dypsisdean]

Thanks for that info Bo. That should be a large enough window so as not to detract from what is going to be the Biennial of a lifetime to Thailand.

[Jeff Searle]

Thanks for that info Bo. That should be a large enough window so as not to detract from what is going to be the Biennial of a lifetime to Thailand.

And for those of us that experienced that great Thailand Biennial in 1998,that WAS considered the " Biennial of a lifetime to Thailand". If I have to, I'll do the "Watermellon Crawl" to get to this next biennial in Thailand. I'm there...

[CardiffPalmNut]

Posted Today, 03:27 PM

Think of the side trip BS man will take over there." I here there is a Dypsis white stem on Molakai"

I made a brief visit once to Molakai and trust me, there ain't no Dypsis. Not much of anything actually. What I did see was a nice population of Dwarf Fiji coconuts and with plenty of the nuts barely off the ground.

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Gary Coleman has the same problem.

I know of two Dypsis, in a private oceanfront garden on moloka'i